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Stefan Simon, Director of the Rathgen Research Laboratory, receives a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
Press release from 09/26/2024
Stefan Simon, Director of the Rathgen Research Laboratory at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, is the first SPK employee to be awarded a Distinguished Research Chair by the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programme. In the academic year 2024-2025, Simon will work on his research project "Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Management of Change" at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
Stefan Simon, Director of the Rathgen Research Laboratory at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, is the first SPK employee to be awarded a Distinguished Research Chair by the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programme. In the academic year 2024-2025, Simon will work on his research project "Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Management of Change" at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
Stefan Simon has been Director of the Rathgen Research Laboratory since 2005. Driven by the debate on the climate crisis and the "green museum", the chemist and conservation scientist has specialised in the development of sustainable conservation strategies. "Cultural heritage is the essential testimony of human existence and identity. However, sustainable preservation of this heritage in the 21st century can no longer refer only to the objects or places of origin, but must also include the people who are connected to this heritage - who own, research, use or preserve it," says Stefan Simon. As Fulbright Canada Distinguished Chair in Arts and Social Sciences in Canada and North America, Simon will continue to research these topics at Carleton University.
Carleton University's strong profile in the areas of heritage conservation, environmental and climate sciences, and indigenous and postcolonial studies in the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences and Natural Sciences makes it an ideal place for this. Ottawa is also home to seven of Canada's nine national museums, as well as the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI). The CCI is a leader in researching and developing elements of holistic risk management and community-based conservation approaches. Since 1972, it has become a model for many heritage institutes, including the Rathgen Research Laboratory.
Fulbright Canada is a binational organisation designed to promote mutual understanding between Canada and the United States of America through academic and cultural exchange. Fulbright Canada is supported by Global Affairs Canada, the U.S. Department of State and a number of corporate, charitable and university partners.
Fulbright scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks. Since 1946, the Fulbright Programme has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals from all fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad. Notable Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, 41 heads of state and government, and thousands of leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
